Golden Dawn protest leads to clashes in Xanthi

The quiet town of Xanthi was seen to violence and clashes with police on Saturday, after a peaceful rally of locals protesting the opening of a branch of political right party Golden Dawn.

The violence erupted when a group of self-styled anarchists hijacked the protest and tried to attack the premises of Golden Dawn. Police intervened and clashed with around 300 anarchists using tear gas to disperse them.

After the unsuccessful attack on the Golden Dawn premises, the anarchists launched Molotov cocktails and began vandalising shops.

The scuffles came after the completion of a peaceful rally organised by an anti-fascism and anti-racism organisation that saw hundreds of locals opposing the opening of the Golden Dawn branch.